


Salem Center Academy 04 - Crucible

by Metal_Ox137



Series: Salem Center Academy [4]
Category: Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:24:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4245897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Illyana's first field excursion with her students has unintended consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salem Center Academy 04 - Crucible

Scene: Downtown Los Angeles - Time: NOW

A monster is rampaging through the city streets. Standing some twelve feet in height, it is a muscular reptilian biped, with a long, lizard-like tail, but its features and carapace are nothing like the creatures of earth. It is leaving a trail of debris in its wake as it roars and bellows along. A teleportation disc shimmers a few yards ahead of the creature's position, and Professor Illyana Rasputin and two of her students, Eva Bell and Phoebe Frost, materialize on the street. They look up at the creature in astonishment. 

Eva: Professor, what is that thing?

Illyana: No idea. It's big, it's ugly, and it's pissed off. 

The creature spots them and bellows in warning. Illyana draws her sword. 

Phoebe: That's the thing we saw on live television a few moments ago?

Eva [swallowing hard]: It looks, uhh, so much . . . bigger . . . in person. 

Phoebe: I'm never turning on the TV again, if it means we're gonna have to deal with stuff like this!

The creature regards the three women as if considering them. 

Eva: Do you think it thinks? I mean, is it smart, like us?

Phoebe: How smart are we to be standing here?

Illyana: Phoebe, see if you can probe its mind, see if it has an intelligence we can reason with. 

Phoebe: I'll . . . try, professor. 

Phoebe seems reluctant, but does as she is told. Her brow furrows in concentration. Suddenly, she screams in agony and keels over. 

Eva: Phoebe? PHOEBE?!

Illyana [barking]: Stay focused, Eva!

The creature charges them, and Illyana likewise charges to meet it head on, swinging her sword with all her considerable strength. The creature roars in pain, but wherever the sword cuts it, the wounds heal instantly. 

Eva looks to see if Phoebe is all right. The young telepath is on her hands and knees, struggling to recover. She waves Eva away. 

Phoebe: Okay . . . I'm okay. Help . . . the professor. 

Illyana has made several deep strikes into the creature's flesh, but none of the hits does any lasting damage. The creature roars, pivots on one leg, and smacks Illyana with its tail. Illyana goes sprawling. 

Eva is fairly panicked at this point, and what she does next is more out of desperation than calculation: she uses her ability to freeze time, and attempts to isolate a time bubble around the creature's head. 

The monster grabs at its head in agony, shrieking horrifically, but it does not fall. Eva looks back where Illyana fell. She is still shaking off the effects of the blow, dazed and momentarily helpless. 

The creature is advancing again, and once more Eva tries to freeze its head. The creature merely shakes its head as if annoyed, and continues to advance. 

Phoebe has made it to her feet and notices that several people are stepping out into the street with their smart phones and cameras. Phoebe closes her eyes and sends a mental command circulating through the crowd.

Phoebe: Get indoors! It's not safe out here. Get inside and away from the windows. Go!

The crowd begins to disperse. Phoebe continues to concentrate, attempting to keep the city residents from endangering their own lives by gawking.

Eva is fairly frantic at this point, but a sudden inspiration strikes her. She concentrates, and in her hand appears a translucent sphere, about the size of a baseball. She hurls the sphere at the creature as hard as she can. The sphere appears to penetrate the creature's body, and it howls with agony and nearly doubles over. Eva readies another projectile and hurls it, again striking the creature, and it staggers backwards, lowing as if mortally wounded.

Illyana has made it to her feet, her face streaked with blood. She watches as Eva hurls a third missile, and the creature is clearly injured now. 

Eva: Go, professor!

Illyana charges again, using the roof of a nearby car as a makeshift trampoline to hurl herself into the air. She swings her sword with a great shriek, and severs the creature's head from its body. The carcass collapses to the pavement, causing ripples of shock waves to run along the street, and Illyana goes sprawling, trying as best she can to roll out of the bad fall. 

For a moment, Eva and Phoebe stand stunned, unable to move. Then, concerned for Illyana, they shake off their panicked freeze and hurry to their teacher's side. 

Illyana has crawled over to a nearby car and has pushed herself sitting upright against it. She is clearly dazed and in a great deal of pain. A large, ugly gash runs across her forehead and down the side of her face, bleeding profusely. 

Eva: Professor, are you all right?

Illyana doesn't respond immediately and Eva grabs a small towel from the medical kit on her hip, trying to wipe away the gore. 

Eva: Can you call Irma for help?

Phoebe: I can, but no one at the school can reach us. The professor is the only one who can teleport.

Eva: If we stay here, the police will find us. 

Phoebe: No, they won't. At least, not yet. I'm broadcasting mental commands for everyone to stay out of the area.

Illyana has revived somewhat, and feebly tries to push Eva's hands away. 

Illyana: It's okay, Eva. My magical powers are already healing me. I'll be all right in a minute.

Eva continues to wipe away the blood. 

Illyana: You really don't need to do that. 

Eva: I really do, professor. It's displacement activity, so I don't, you know, completely panic. 

Illyana: Oh. Carry on, then. 

Illyana rests her back against the car and closes her eyes, trying to collect herself. They can hear sirens wailing in the background.

Phoebe: I'm keeping the police away from us for now, but I won't be able to keep this up for long. 

Eva: Professor?

Illyana: Give me a minute. [she smiles, eyes still closed] What was that little trick you did just now? 

Eva: Trick? Oh. I was just thinking, what would Fabio do if he were here, and he'd hurl a gold ball. I can make time displacement bubbles. So I just made one small enough to throw. 

Phoebe [frowning]: I don't get it. 

Eva: Wherever the bubble hits any object, anything it touches is frozen in time. So for anything in motion, that part of the body is literally ripped away from the part that's not frozen. Better than a bullet.

Phoebe: Yuck!

Illyana [smiling with approval, eyes still closed]: Very nasty, Eva. Very nice. Well done.

She finally opens her eyes. 

Eva: Professor, we really should be getting out of here. 

Illyana: Yeah, we should. Help me up. 

The girls assist Illyana as she gets to her feet on decidedly wobbly legs. She sheathes her sword unsteadily. She creates a teleport disc in front of them, and all three step on it. Phoebe issues one final mental broadcast before they all vanish.

Phoebe: It's all clear, everybody. It's safe to come out now. 

A short time later back at the school, Illyana, Eva and Phoebe have cleaned themselves up. Even after Christopher has tended to their injuries, Illyana and Phoebe are still feeling ill after-effects from the battle, and when Illyana lays down on the living room couch for a brief rest, she ends up falling asleep. Phoebe sees her sleeping there and joins her, snuggling up against her and laying her head on Illyana's breast for a pillow. 

David and Eva tiptoe in and watch the pair sleeping. Eva takes a spare blanket from the hall closet and carefully covers them.

Eva: Are they gonna be okay?

David: I think so. I hope so. 

Eva: Where are the boys?

David: Up on the hilltop, practicing like mad. The TV coverage got them all amped up. Irma's up in her room.

Eva [wistfully]: Actually, a nap sounds like a great idea.

David: No reason you can't. I'm going out on a limb here and saying afternoon class is cancelled. [ he grins ] And hey, you were the one in the field today, fighting the big, scary monsters. Good on ya, mate.

Eva grins appreciatively. David takes the van keys from the sideboard.

Eva: Where are you going?

David: Into town, to pick up some supplies. We still have a list of things we need as long as my arm. And there's nothing I can do here right now, not without waking the professor.

Eva: Can I come?

David: Sure, unless you'd rather have some down time. 

Eva: I would, but - it's just - I was a little freaked out by what happened this morning, and it would nice to do something, well, normal. 

David: Suits me. The shopping will go faster with two of us. Leave a note on the whiteboard to let everyone know where we've gone. 

Eva grins, leaves a note and then grabs her jacket from the coat rack. They go out through the front door and quietly close the door behind them. 

Some little time passes. After a while, Illyana becomes aware that she is awake and that Phoebe is fast asleep atop her. She makes no attempt to get up, simply content to listen to the ambient stillness of the house around her. After a while, Phoebe stirs slightly and draws in a deep breath, finally opening her eyes. 

Illyana smiles at Phoebe. 

Illyana: Have a nice nap?

Phoebe sits up, alarmed.

Phoebe: Professor, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to -

Illyana: It's all right, Phoebe, it's fine. Really.

Phoebe sighs, and puts her head back down on Illyana's breast in great relief. Illyana reaches up with one hand and gently pushes Phoebe's long blond hair back away from her face. 

Phoebe: What time is it?

Illyana: No idea.

Phoebe: Do we have to get up yet?

Illyana: Not right away. You want to tell me what happened this morning?

Phoebe: You mean, when I tried to read that creature's mind?

Illyana: Uh-huh.

Phoebe thinks for a moment.

Phoebe: It was intelligent. Self-aware. I got that much. But - it's not like any mind I've ever scanned. There was no way I could 'translate' what it was thinking. And the more I tried, it's like - it felt like my brain had been scooped out of my skull and dumped into a vat of acid. I've never felt pain like that. I think - it sensed me trying to probe its mind, and it threw me out. And . . .

Seeing Phoebe frowning, Illyana prompts her gently. 

Illyana: Is there something else? 

Phoebe: This is gonna sound so stupid. 

Illyana: Try me.

Phoebe: It's - not from our reality, professor. And I don't mean like it came from another planet. I think it came from - somewhere else. Something completely outside our space time.

Illyana: An alternate universe? 

Phoebe: I don't know. It certainly wasn't from around here. [she lifts her head slightly] It's really quiet. Where is everyone? 

Illyana: I was just wondering that myself. 

Before either of them can get up, they hear Fabio and Christopher coming in from the kitchen door. 

Christopher: Dude, you got it so wrong. The Phantom Menace is the best Star Wars movie of them all. 

Fabio: Oh, come on, man. You're gonna defend Jar Jar Binks? Really? Most annoying movie character ever.

Christopher: Of course he's annoying, that was the whole point of the character! But it's got Natalie Portman! And Keira Knightley! And Darth Maul is the coolest!

Fabio: Hey, didn't Ray Park also play the Toad?

Illyana and Phoebe can hear the boys getting water bottles from the fridge, and they continue their animated discussion as they head up the stairs to their rooms, not seeing either of them in the living room as they pass. 

Illyana: Well, now we know where the boys are. 

Phoebe giggles.

Illyana: Well, all right, let's see what everybody else is up to. 

Reluctantly, they sit up, and as they do they hear the van pull up into the driveway. In a few moments, David and Eva enter, laden down with groceries. Eva squeals with delight, puts the groceries on the sideboard, and hugs each of them exuberantly. 

Eva: You guys are okay?

Illyana: Yes, we're fine, Eva.

David: Hey, boss. Glad to see you up and about. 

Illyana: Hello, David. Is there more in the van to bring in?

David: There's hardware supplies in the back. I was gonna have Chris and Fabio help me bring that stuff in. 

Eva [calling up the stairs in an impossibly loud voice]: Fabio! Christopher! Get your butts down here, on the double!

The boys come to the railing, and seeing everyone clustered in the hallway, head for the stairs. David shakes his head.

David [to Illyana]: I'm always amazed at how . . . loud . . . she can be. Is that an Australian thing?

Illyana [laughing]: No, I think that's an Eva Bell thing. 

They carry the groceries into the kitchen. 

David: You okay, boss? You really got your chimes rung pretty good this morning. 

Illyana: Yeah, I did, but I'm okay now. Thanks, David.

The boys come into the kitchen.

Fabio: Hey, professor, we saw you guys on the television this morning. 

Christopher: They had a live feed on the news. What you did was totally badass. 

Illyana [to David]: Our first day with a working television set, and we're the lead story. 

Fabio: You guys were on all the channels. Even channels that don't do news.

Christopher: We taped the whole thing. 

Illyana: You recorded the broadcast?

Fabio: Sure did!

Illyana: Okay, after supper, we'll sit down and watch it together. 

Christopher: I thought tonight was gonna be movie night?

Illyana: We can still watch a movie afterwards. But since we missed having a class this afternoon, we'll go through what you recorded. This will give us a chance to critique our performance in the field. 

David [seeing the boys are about to argue]: Okay, Chris, Fabio, I need you guys outside, please. There's all kinds of hardware supplies in the back of the van that we need to get unloaded before supper. 

The boys go out. Irma stumbles into the kitchen, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Like her sister and her teacher, she had spent the better part of the afternoon napping. Eva gives her a quick hug.

Eva: Me and Irma are gonna make dinner tonight.

Irma: We are? 

Eva: Yeah. There was this recipe I saw on 'Cutthroat Kitchen' that looked pretty good. I think you and me can handle it. 

Phoebe: Can I help?

Eva: Sure, you want to be our sous chef?

Phoebe: What's a sous chef?

Eva [laughing]: We'll show you. Is dinner in thirty minutes okay, professor?

Illyana: Sounds great, Eva. Thanks. 

While her students are busy cooking or unpacking, Illyana returns to the living room and settles back down on the couch. She finds the remote and switches on the television. The evening edition of the news has just started. 

TV Announcer: Los Angeles was rocked this morning by what appears to have been an alien invasion. A large, lizard-like creature, which eyewitnesses described as being something between 'a demon and a dinosaur', appeared without warning in the middle of downtown at 9:45 AM local time, rampaged for several minutes through the downtown area - until it was cornered and killed by three women, all of whom appear to possess paranormal powers. Two of the women have not yet been identified, but there has been a positive identification on the third: Illyana Rasputin, a wanted fugitive who is on OFAC's watch list as a known terrorist supporter. Ms. Rasputin is most recently wanted in connection with a brutal assault on S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill - 

Illyana mutes the television sound. 

Illyana [softly]: Damn it.

After supper, the entire school gathers in the living room to watch the footage on the TV set. David parks himself in one of the upholstered chairs, while Irma, Phoebe and Christopher sit on the couch. Fabio and Eva have taken the seat cushions from some of the other chairs and are reclining on them in front of the couch. Illyana stands behind the couch with the remote. 

Illyana: Okay, everyone, the purpose of this exercise is to observe and critique. I'm not thrilled that we ended up on all the news channels, but since it's happened, let's make the best of it. The video that Fabio and Chris recorded this morning is raw, real time footage, so we can see almost the entire sequence. What I want you to do is look at the tape, and make suggestions. Is there something we could have done better? Is there anything we did that was flat out wrong? 

Christopher: Professor, you cut that freakin' thing's head off - with a sword. That was awesome! What else is there to say?

Illyana [with a mirthless smile]: I think we can come up with something more substantive than that. First, we'll watch the entire sequence, and then we'll watch it again, and stop it along the way, so you can make comments.

Illyana turns on the video recorder and the playback begins.

Eva [in dismay]: Oh my God, is my butt really that big?

Illyana: Hush, Eva. Watch the tape. 

The entire sequence is fairly short - just barely two minutes. As the creature's body disappears under a cloud of dust, Illyana stops the tape. 

Eva: I can't believe it. 

Illyana: What is it, Eva?

Eva: I could have sworn we were out there for, like, hours. 

Illyana: Believe it or not, beginning to end, that was under two minutes. Lesson one: real fights are short. Sometimes they can be as quick as a single blow.

Christopher: I like the part where you're hacking away at that thing like a weed whacker. 

David: At the risk of calling you out, boss, it looked like you really weren't ready for that thing to use its tail on you. 

Illyana: That's a great point. Of necessity, we train with other people, humans who have two arms and two legs. But as this morning proves, not every threat we deal with will be human. We have to get better at improvising in those situations. 

Irma: What was it that Eva was doing? You can't really tell from the tape. Can you back it up?

Illyana points the remote and scrolls back. Irma points at the screen. 

Irma: Yeah. Right there. 

Eva is seen gesturing with one hand towards the creature, and it grabs its head.

Irma: What were you doing there? 

Eva: I was trying to freeze its head inside a time bubble. But it didn't work. 

Fabio: Why not? I mean, hell, you froze the Avengers. 

Illyana: Phoebe suggested to me earlier that perhaps this creature doesn't come from our space time, so perhaps that made it partially immune to Eva's powers. 

Christopher: Yeah, what was Phoebe doing all this time? Getting a manicure? OW!

Both Eva and Irma hit Christopher angrily, Irma with the Gibbs slap behind the head, and Eva swats at his leg.

Phoebe [voice strained]: No, wait.

Illyana: Phoebe?

Phoebe: Christopher is right. He's right. [she looks at Illyana] I'm sorry, professor. After I tried to read its mind, I got hurt - and I got scared. And I ran away. I mean, yes, I'm still standing right there, but - I'm not helping. I saw all the people coming out into the street with their stupid phones, and - I spent the rest of the time chasing them away. I used them as an excuse. I ran away from the fight, professor. I left you and Eva there to deal with it and I just - stopped fighting. I ran away. I'm sorry.

A complete hush falls over the living room. Everyone watches Illyana to see her reaction. She puts a hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

Illyana [softly]: I wondered if you were going to tell me. Thank you for being honest. 

Huge tears begin spilling down Phoebe's cheeks. 

Phoebe: I'm really, really sorry. I let you down. 

Illyana: Yes, you did. [addressing the group] Any time I take any one of you into the field with me - any time - that means I am counting on you to be there, no matter what happens. We got lucky today, but this just as easily have gone very badly. This is not a game, people. When you are in the field, you need to be ready for anything, at any time. Abandoning your teammates is not acceptable, at any time, under any circumstances. Our trust in each other has to be absolute. We're not going to survive any other way. [she leans over to speak to Phoebe] And you are going to have to prove to me that you can do much better than this, before I will even consider taking you into the field with me again. 

Illyana sighs and throws down the remote. 

Illyana: Class dismissed.

Phoebe bursts into sobs and races up the stairs to hide in her bedroom. Illyana goes into the kitchen. After a moment, David follows her. 

Illyana is leaning against the butcher block table, arms folded, staring angrily at nothing. 

Illyana: I don't want to talk about it, David. I don't need to justify my decisions to you. 

David: For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing.

Illyana: You think I was too hard on Phoebe.

David: I think that Phoebe adores you, and she would do just about anything to win your approval. 

Illyana [shaking her head in self-disapproval]: I need to start being much tougher on all of you. If I'm going to lead this team, I can't be both the drill sergeant and the 'kiss it better' person - 

David: You mean, the mother. 

Illyana gives David a hard stare. 

David: Because that's what this is really about, isn't it? Being the mom to these kids. Irma and Phoebe lost their mother, Illyana. They lost their sister - 

Illyana [angrily]: I know that, I was there. 

David: Look. I didn't know Emma all that well. Scott, either, for that matter. I only knew them for a few weeks before they died. But it's obvious to me, it's obvious to everyone, that since - since Dallas . . . these kids have imprinted on you - and none of them more so than Irma and Phoebe. You're the only family they have left. 

Illyana sighs in vexation.

David: It's not your fault that they need you for everything. But the fact is, they do. And the truth is, you love them. Every bit as much as they love you. You wouldn't be standing here right now, feeling angry and conflicted, if you didn't give a damn. I'm not going to tell you what to do, boss, because, hell, I don't know myself. But the people in this house aren't soldiers, Illyana, they're your students. They're kids. Just - remember that - please?

Illyana doesn't answer, and after a moment, David leaves her alone with her thoughts. A single, traitorous tear spills down Illyana's cheek and she wipes it away angrily. Illyana suddenly realizes she's being watched. 

Emma: You're afraid. 

Illyana: I can't do this, Emma. I can't. I can be a soldier. I can be a demon sorceress. I can be a drill sergeant. I can be the goddamned Queen of All Hell - but I don't know how to take care of these kids. 

Emma: It's not a question of knowing what to do. You deal with things as they happen.

Illyana: This was a mistake. Packing up the school, driving out here to hide in the woods, trying to start over - just one big, huge, gigantic mistake. I should have left them all on Katya's doorstep. The moment we got back from Dallas, I should have tied them all up in a big red bow, and left them on her front porch in a basket like orphans. 

Emma: You still could. Kitty would take them in, gladly. She would coddle them too much, but she would take care of them. 

Illyana: Are you saying that's what I should do?

Emma: And then, what would you do? Where would you go? What happens to you, Illyana?

Illyana: I have no idea. 

Emma: Why are you so angry?

Illyana: I'm not angry with Phoebe, if that's what you're asking.

Emma: Then who are you angry with?

Illyana: Me. I'm angry with me. I took Phoebe into the field before she was ready, and that was my fault. And then I yelled at her in front of the whole class when she was being honest, and that's my fault too. 

Emma: Then maybe you should do something to fix that. 

Illyana: Every decision I make - I end up looking back at it, and thinking, that was a really bad decision. I need to start making better ones and I don't know how.

Emma: These students are going to follow your lead, Illyana, whatever you decide.

Illyana: So what do I do? Tell me, Emma, what do I do?

But Emma is gone, and Illyana is standing all alone in the kitchen. She wipes the tears from her face and walks out into the living room. 

The living room is darkened, the students all retired to their rooms, any thought of a movie night abandoned. Illyana looks up at the balustrade and sees every door shut. 

Sighing, she walks up the stairs mechanically, enters her own room and flops down disconsolately on the bed. 

Illyana [to herself]: What am I doing here? I don't know how to run a school. 

She closes her eyes, feeling utterly wretched.

* * *

Scene: Somewhere Inside The Pentagon

Unidentified Man: I've read your report, Commander Harris. You are far from the first person to declare Miss Rasputin and her . . . associates . . . as terrorists. 

Harris: I don't think you fully appreciate the danger here, sir. This woman has the ability to transport herself anywhere, any time, in the wink of an eye. There is no room, no vault, no secured facility anywhere she can't enter at will if she so chooses. She was responsible for helping Summers escape confinement in the first place. One of her "students" can freeze time, another can disable any electronic device with a snap of his fingers. Two of the students are telepaths, one of whom last week attempted to lobotomize a Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Aboard her own damn helicarrier! What's to stop them from pulling that same stunt at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters? Or the FBI's? Or even the president's office? This goes beyond a mere terrorist threat, sir. 

Unidentified Man: Summers and Frost were always the primary targets of the operation. They've been neutralized. 

Harris: But the threat still exists, sir. This woman is dangerous. And, because she was successful in her attempt to injure Director Hill, we no longer have any reliable information about Rasputin's current whereabouts.

Unidentified Man: With all due respect, that's on Director Hill. She opted to withhold vital information on her own recognizance, against S.H.I.E.L.D. directives. 

Harris: Sir, standard tactical strategies are going to be ineffective here. We need to take drastic measures to ensure - 

Unidentified Man: Please don't tell me you want to re-activate the SENTINEL program. 

Harris: Sir - 

Unidentified Man: Four decades, and millions of taxpayer dollars funneled into a program that hasn't a single confirmed kill to its credit. It's an embarrassment. 

Harris: Sir, there is another alternative.

Unidentified Man: You mean the S.B.I. No one's supposed to know about that initiative, Commander. Least of all you.

Harris: When you start planting prototypes aboard S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriers, it's kind of hard not to notice.

Unidentified Man: Point taken.

Harris: The irony is, Maria Hill never had to go outside the organization to get the answers she was looking for. And what those . . . freaks . . . did to her is unforgivable. The S.B.I. is our only other option. Bluntly, it's time to fight fire with fire. 

Unidentified Man: By pitting super-powered soldiers against our own citizens?

Harris: Rasputin is not an American citizen. She's a Russian national. Her immigrant status has been revoked. She's now in this country illegally. Great Britain has already passed the so-called 'third genome' legislation for its own citizens. Not soldiers, just regular citizens! And China, Japan and India have all been escalating their genetic soldier programs for at least two decades that we know of. We're well behind the game on this front of the war - 

Unidentified Man: That war is not yours to fight, Commander. 

Harris: No. But directed attacks against S.H.I.E.L.D. officers and personnel is. Rasputin is the threat. She's the head of the snake. The kids that Summers brainwashed can be dealt with easily enough, once she's out of the picture. Take her out, and the threat is gone. 

Unidentified Man: Then I suggest you take your team to Los Angeles, where Rasputin was last seen, and start digging. 

Harris: She's not in LA. She's holed up in the Pacific Northwest somewhere. When Director Hill went AWOL, her rental car was found in a parking garage in Portland. That's where they'll be. We're going to start our search there.

Unidentified Man: I would point out to you that since Dallas, Miss Rasputin has been positively identified in public on precisely two occasions in nearly five months. On this most recent appearance, Rasputin and her "terrorists" actively dealt with an alien threat that could have cost hundreds of lives, and billions of dollars in property damages. Her actions clearly demonstrated an intent to protect lives and property. The situation may not be as clear-cut as you would like. Don't be one of those jingoists who lets an inconvenient fact stand in the way of an opinion, Commander. God knows, we have enough of those types to deal with on Capitol Hill as it is.

Harris: The inconvenient fact, sir, is that there are multiple outstanding warrants for Rasputin's arrest, on any number of charges, ranging from jailbreaks to attempted murder. One good deed, however sincere, doesn't wipe that slate clean. Or relieve you of your obligations to contain her.

Unidentified Man: Then get me some reliable intel on Rasputin's whereabouts and her intentions. Until I know more, I won't authorize anything. 

Harris: And when we find her?

Unidentified Man: IF you find her, Commander Harris, and the intel is reliable . . . then we will authorize a strike force, as you've requested.

Harris: You mean with conventional forces. 

Unidentified Man: That is all I am willing to authorize at this time. 

Harris: Oh, I will find them, sir. You can count on that. And once I've found them . . . The threat will be dealt with. Permanently.


End file.
